Monthly Archives: April 2013

My five-year-old granddaughter was born profoundly deaf. I started nagging my daughter to visit "The Cross," in our neighboring small town of Barre, Massachusetts. She finally succumbed to her mother’s whim. "Many people have been healed there including the owner of the farm," I told her. "John was healed of a deaf ear!"

"But I like my daughter the way she is! She’s unique and we all love her the way she is!" my offspring proudly proclaimed.

"Are you afraid she’ll get healed?" I prodded, "Or are you afraid she won’t?"

So, my daughter reluctantly made the trip to the famous giant asphalt crucifix, so large that you could land a small plane on it. Painted in bold white lettering across the 100’x200′ blacktop cross, are the ten commandments. And the commandment given by Jesus, "Love one another even as I have loved you," is encircled at the cross junction.

In his seventies, John Harty still has a blessed ministry. Humbled by many miracles and healings on his property, this sweet gentle man tells his stories to thousands of visitors every year. My daughter, granddaughter, and I ventured over.

On our visit, John Harty the owner, my daughter and I held hands and prayed and talked. My grandchild played amongst the stones.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Chloe started tugging at her mother’s leg, "Mommy, mommy, come with me! Let’s go see that man over there!" and she pointed off to the massive open farm field that surrounds the cross. Amongst about 50 wide open acres of grass, with two giant flat rocks, there was no one to be seen except one man way off to the right who was fishing in the small pond that abutts the field.

My aggressive Chloe persisted, even though we adults were getting irritated at being interrupted from our conversation with Mr. Harty. Finally my daughter said, "What man, Chloe? That man fishing over there?" and her mother pointed to the pond.

"No mommy, that man over there!" and Chloe Lynn pointed again to the large open field where only grass and rocks were visable. Slightly frustrated, my daughter gave in to her tugging and reluctantly walked way off into the distance. Finally approaching the spot where he was supposed to be standing, Chloe replied with her hearing sensitivity, "He disdapeered, mom!"

None of us paid much attention to this event until, on our trip home, Chloe again nonchalantly brought up, "The man in the field." My daughter decided to question her a bit, "What did he look like, honey? What was he wearing?" And, ever so innocently she replied, "A dress mommy, a white dress!"

Shocked, we stared at each other for the first time and realized that while we were praying with John, this naive five-year-old child had experienced a vision. We were to busy to realize the magnitude of this until we arrived home.

Since that momentous day, my little sweetie has twice returned for routine checkups to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital. And, the doctors don’t understand why her hearing exams are improving. Her bone conduction tests are now around 90%. Her speech is improving daily as well. She is still deaf and without her hearing aids, she can’t hear you call to her, but her hearing loss has stopped, and the doctor’s are amazed.

Chloe continues to shock her teachers with her clarity of speech, and this now bubbly kindergartner is starting to sing. And the amazing thing is, she sings on key!

Love in Christ, Claire xoxo

P.S. Just want to give you an update. Now, eleven years later, Chloe is 16, going to be a Junior in high school in the fall, is still considered profoundly deaf, loves music, plays her keyboard beautifully, and writes her own music.

Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;" (NIV)

There is a fifty-acre piece of beautiful farm land across the street from my home in New Braintree, Massachusetts. I often notice the State Police over there training their German Shepherds. I also walk there often to pray and run my own dog. Today it is in the 60’s, quite warm for November in New England. The trees are bare, but the green grass is still growing, thick and soft.

While strolling in the blessed pasture on this late afternoon, my mind was a total blank. No words or thoughts or prayers entered my head as I hiked along with my puppy running madly around me. At 3:30 pm the late fall sun was already starting to set, but it was still so warm that I soaked it up like a dry sponge.

I’ve been confined to my house with pneumonia for about ten days now, and I just had to get out for awhile. Fatigue set in quickly, so I sat down in the center of the rich green meadow where a tiny hill beckoned me. I found myself talking to God as I stared into the warm sunset, asking Him for ridiculous things. "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" I heard. The single scripture ran over and over in my disbelieving mind. So I asked, "Lord, make me come into a large sum of money real soon so I can retire from the WRTA and never have to go back there, amen." After almost ten years, I was drained from all the female harassment I was subjected to.

"Isn’t that sily!" I thought as I prayed. It’s not that I don’t think God is capable of doing such a thing. I know He is! He’s done so much for me financially as well as in so many other ways, but somehow I don’t think He would answer such a selfish prayer. But the scripture quoted exactly says, "And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." ( John 14:13+14 – NIV). So I thought, "Why not!" Wouldn’t it be incredible if I hit a large lottery ticket or something. To be able to retire at 57, wow! After God provided me with this great paying job, how could I even ask such a self-centered request. I don’t even buy lottery tickets!

The next day I walked the field once more and sat on the same little hill in the heated fall sunshine and again I heard the scripture, "Ask anything in my name and it will be given to you." So again I thought, "Why not!" On the second day I prayed, "Lord, please just help me financially to retire early, thank you for listening, amen!"

Even though I asked, did I actually believe He would do such a thing for me? Of course not. I simply did not believe!

Love in Christ, Claire xoxo

P.S. Only two years later, I got cancer, retired early, decided to cash in my pension (a considerable lump sum) and paid off the mortgage on my house. Eventually, I qualified for disability. Was my prayer answered? I think it was! You decide!

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